March 28, 2016

Sanders - not the Comeback Kid, rather a symptom

Bernie Sanders won three caucuses over the weekend - Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. He's still not going to win, but he's a symptom of the underlying problem for Democrats just like Donald Trump is embodying on the Republican side during this election cycle. The problem for Democrats is on the horizon but not that far off.

Sanders made up delegate ground and in a high percentage way. But in terms of total delegates, and Superdelegates, Sanders merely did that which was incumbent upon him to not have to shut down his campaign.

To say Sanders has an uphill battle is an understatement. It's more like up-a-mountain. That is not to say it's an impossible task, but if I had to lay odds on the eventual nominee I'd say it's 99% likely that it's going to be Hillary Clinton.

The Democrats have not yet gone through a full blown anti-establishment house cleaning like the Republicans are currently experiencing. They probably thought Obama was it back in 2008. By now there's perhaps a comfort level given that they've had the White House for 8 years and they think they are the establishment so the status quo is okay.

Not so.

The Democratic party is seeing some of its own grass roots revolt in the support of Bernie Sanders. Here's the problem (for them). If they ignore the situation the way the GOP did, they will allow the vacuum of solutions to the discontent to be filled with the likes of Bernie Sanders and fellow socialists. They'll become an overtly socialist political party.

That's potentially good for Republicans who would fill the vacuum everywhere right of far left progressivism. But it's also very worrisome for the country. What if they become a successful socialist Democratic party? That ends American exceptionalism. Both parties have had the chance to clean up their acts before open revolts have happened. Democrats need to wake up and realize that their status quo day of reckoning is coming and just like the Republicans, and that not being ready for it will lead to chaos.